What Next? #EndSARS

It is no surprise to anyone that Nigeria has, for a long time, struggled with deeply rooted corruption, infrastructure decay and widespread insecurity. For decades, our voice against this was only but a whisper. But two weeks ago, this changed.

It was a change that shocked so many. Young Nigerians across the country, in their thousands, came out in peaceful protest against police brutality and bad governance. For two weeks, we dominated the national conversation, using the hashtag #EndSARS to amplify our collective voice online.

Image by Yagazie Emezi

It was our proudest moments as young Nigerians. For a country known and criticized for its deference, this protest was pivotal. It ushered a change in national consciousness and created a landmark in socio-political awareness.

But things took a turn for the worse when our peaceful protest was hijacked by what many have called "thugs & hoodlums". But these thugs are individuals like you and me, the only difference is that our society has failed them. The hoodlums are citizens' societal progress left behind. Without access to education or economic opportunities, they became what they are today - ready to wield a knife and cause havoc for a $3 payment.

The events of the past weeks have shown us that we are on our own. We asked for police reforms, but we were answered with increased violence and the military might of our own country was used to suppress our peaceful protest. Even worse, the poverty of citizens like you and I were used as weapons against us. 

We love our country and we still hold on to the hope that we can make it better.

Hope is not a strategy, but a starting point. That is why our solution at Sharing Life Africa focuses on two fronts: solving the problem of poverty & providing quality education to children in low-income communities. We believe that solving these two problems is key to unlocking the promise of a new Nigeria. Our work, now more than ever, is critical.

The next phase is to get back to work: to build systems and strengthen our communities, To start from the grassroots and educate children and young people with the skills and knowledge to ask hard questions and make their own decisions. The next step is to build prosperous communities where poverty ceases to be a tool for destruction, where poverty is eradicated and every child and family can live decently.

This is our next step!
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